Conflict of the Orders

The "Conflict of the Orders" was the periodic struggle between the wealthy patricians and majority plebeians in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

History
The inequalities in Roman society led to periodic conflict between the elite patricians and the majority plebeians; on several occasions the plebeians refused to work or fight, withdrew from the city to pressure the elite to make political concessions, or rebelled at times. In 450 BC the tribunes were created to represent the people but the elite blunted the reforms in their own ways.